By way of background, a snowboard is a winter sports device that includes an elongate board on which a user's feet are retained in relatively fixed positions by a pair of spaced-apart bindings. Unlike a pair of skis, which are always pointed in the direction of the user's movement and which enable the user's feet to be moved independent of each other to propel, steer or stop the user's movement, snowboards are capable of moving across snow in a variety of directions and do not enable the user to move his or her feet once mounted on the board to propel the board. Instead, snowboards rely upon being positioned on an inclined surface to generate speed. Once moving, the user steers and stops the board by leaning and twisting his or her body and legs to generate radial and angular movement of the board as it slides down the inclined surface.
The sport of snowboarding has experienced dramatic increases in popularity in recent years, and considerable advances have been made to both the boards and the bindings that secure a user's feet thereupon. Nonetheless, there are still several problems which have not been adequately addressed. The problems are primarily centered around three areas, namely, standing up from a sitting position once the snowboarder's feet are secured within the bindings, balancing on and steering the snowboard once standing, and moving on level or uphill ground. The first two areas are most commonly encountered by beginning snowboarders, while the latter problem area is a nuisance for all snowboarders.
Beginning snowboarders often find the sport terribly frustrating because of the basic fact that snowboards slide on sloped surfaces and remain stationary on level surfaces. While this seems very simplistic, beginning snowboarders spend most of their time sitting on the snow because they have not learned how to get to a standing position once both feet are mounted on the board and/or balance and steer themselves on the board once standing.
To use a snowboard, the user places the board near the top of a run. Then, from a sitting position near the edge of the run, the snowboarder straps both feet into the board's bindings. From this position, with the snowboarder's knees bent and the snowboard oriented at an angle with respect to the ground, the snowboarder has the challenge of getting into a standing position on the board. Because of his or her lack of leverage, the snowboarder cannot get to a standing position by simply putting his or her hands on the ground and pushing upwards. Therefore, one of two methods must be used. In the first, the snowboarder grabs the front end of the board and rocks forward, dropping the bottom of the board to lie against the downslope of the run. This rolling motion and the leverage provided by grabbing the tip of the board collectively pull the user to a standing position. Although difficult to master, it is the quickest conventional way to get to a standing position, provided the user has sufficient forearm and abdominal strength to perform this maneuver.
The other alternative is for the snowboarder to flip over so that he or she is kneeling toward the ground with the board extending rearwardly behind the snowboarder. From this position, it is possible for a snowboarder to push up from the ground with his or her hands and get to a standing position on the board. Although not as quick, this basic maneuver is the most commonly used method for beginning snowboarders to get to a standing position once strapped onto the board. Although this method works, it is awkward, somewhat slow and requires the snowboarder to consistently sit and put his or her hands in the snow. Therefore, there is a need for a device that the snowboarder can use to easily get from a sitting position to a standing position on the board.
Unfortunately, this only begins the beginning user's problems. If the board is on level ground, so that it does not immediately begin sliding once the user is standing, it is possible for the user to get accustomed to the feel of standing and leaning on the board. Because the board is on a level surface, however, it does not go anywhere. Therefore, the snowboarder is forced to hop to the edge of the run or sit down, remove at least one foot from its binding, move to the edge of the run and repeat the above process. If the board is on an inclined surface, the board immediately begins sliding as soon as the user's body is off the ground. This does not, however, mean that the snowboarder is fully standing or even balanced on the board. This explains why beginning snowboarders commonly fall almost immediately after standing or attempting to do so. Therefore, there is a need for a device that may be used for balance and stability while a snowboarder learns to stand and balance upon, as well as steer and otherwise maneuver, a snowboard.
Beginning and advanced snowboarders face additional delays and hassle when they need to travel over level or upwardly inclined ground. Because almost all ski areas are designed for skiers, who can easily navigate fairly large level or inclined surfaces, this problem is fairly often encountered by snowboarders. Examples of such situations are encountered at the bottom of a run when a snowboarder needs to get to the lift, and at the top of the run when the snowboarder needs to get from the lift to the start of the desired run. When only very short, relatively flat distances need to be traveled, the common, although tiring, solution is to hop to the desired position. When this solution is not practical, the snowboarder must sit down and take at least one foot out of its binding. With one foot removed, the user can propel the snowboard much like a skateboard. Unfortunately, this one-foot-on and one-foot-off position causes a significant percentage of injuries, especially to beginning snowboarders as they try to stop and steer the board.
When longer or steeper distances must be traveled, the typical, time-consuming solution is to sit down, remove both feet from their bindings, carry the snowboard to the new spot, sit down, replace both feet in their bindings, and then perform one of the above-discussing standing maneuvers. Therefore, there is a need for a device that enables a snowboarder to propel him or herself across level or uphill ground without the effort and time required by conventional methods.
The present invention overcomes these and other problems in the form of a collapsible snowboard pole and a body-conforming receiver onto which the collapsed pole is secured when not being used. The pole includes a user-grippable region and a snow-engaging region and selectively collapses and extends between a collapsed length and an extended length. The receiver is secured on a portion of a snowboarder's limb and includes a pair of spaced-apart retainers into which the collapsed pole is selectively received and retained.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood after a consideration of the drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follow.